In Merciless Hands, Alucard Version
by WhiteBirdAolen
Summary: Aesen Belmont thought he would be able to defeat the current lord of the castle. But he wouldn't have counted on being turned into one of the damned... Rating: M. Contains M/M interaction. Aesen is an OC specifically created for this fandom.
1. The Lord Awakens

The cursed darkness surrounding Castlevania immediately swallowed him as Aesen Belmont approached the devil's threshold in a quick pace. It had been long years since the castle had manifested, and as ever, it wouldn't be without a reason. Something big was at hand, or at least, something powerful had awakened the cursed fortress from its slumber and reincarnated it.

Hurrying past the gates (which slammed shut after he had entered), Aesen readied Vampire Killer, prepared to kill any abomination darkness would throw at him. It wasn't long until the zombies and skeletons staggered towards him, the air rustling with the fluttering of countless bat wings. But the young Belmont stood firm against the assault, the whip snapping and cracking against the horde, while he inwardly prayed to God and his parents for strength.

The wave ebbed away bit by bit, until Aesen stood panting in the middle of the Entrance Hall, taking deep breaths to calm his hammering heartbeat down. He wiped across his forehead, pulling out a silver cross from his collar and praying silently once more. This cross, Vampire Killer and his knowledge about the creatures of the darkness were the only things to keep him safe in this eternal night, in which the creatures of darkness would bask in the moon's light and dance beneath its shine.

_'I have to be careful. I can feel that I approach something. And there's no telling who is the ruler of this castle this time.'_

Something told him that it wasn't Dracula, that someone else had taken over reign of the night and was awaiting him deeper inside the castle. Had Aesen known who he picked up a fight against, he might have reconsidered the choice he soon would have to make...

_Further inside the castle, a well-known dhampire was awakening from a troubled sleep. With his memory lost and an inexplicable craving for something thick and red, he staggered down the staircase to go deeper into the castle and find the source of the wild burning in the back of his mind._

He staggered and held himself up against the wall, panting deeply and trying to fight off the nauseating feeling coiling in the pit of his stomach. He had been dreaming for a long time... Of a world outside of his coffin, of a night more beautiful than anything before. But the burning in his mind left him no rest. Something was in the castle that _absolutely_ didn't belong here. And it made the dhampire growl.

He couldn't remember anything, safe for a name he kept repeating over and over again in his head. _Alucard, also known as Adrian Tepes._ The son of someone powerful, according to the monstrous castle he had woken up in. And how beautiful the moonlight was indeed...

But he couldn't fully enjoy it. Not with the burning in his throat and the uncomfortable pressure in the back of his head. There was something off in his castle. Someone had intruded, of that he was sure. Someone with a certain power at his disposal. And that was something he couldn't tolerate, not in his home.

Breathing against the burning pain in his throat, Alucard slowly followed the staircase, feeling more and more presences on his way down. Ghosts, Valkyries, Succubi, Knights, Witches... Nothing seemed to be strange to him, his memories easily returning about what was lurking inside of the castle. His servants, all of them fearing him and obeying his very whim.

Despite the still painful feeling in his throat, Alucard straightened his spine, walking proudly along the corridors. Lost souls and the damned were following him, their looks all on him. He felt their respect, their fear, and at the same time their _want_ to serve him in any respect possible. Amused, the dhampire chuckled, closing his eyes for a moment. That was more like it. That was how he wanted it to be.

He came to a stop as he had entered the Ball Room, where the Ghost Dancers eternally swirled in their graceful movements. They let him to the middle of the room, without a question, without resistance. They were all serving him, after all, and didn't want to draw his anger at them. No, they wanted to make him feel good, feel powerful and wanted, therefore the most beautiful of the female Ghost Dancers shyly bowed to him, asking for this one dance.

And Alucard gladly accepted her idle plea.

_While the dhampire was swirling with the souls of the damned, Aesen had rested up and finished his prayer, still not having a good feeling about what was happening in the castle. Something told him that he was about to make a big mistake. But he couldn't turn back now. He had to find and defeat the castle's lord, else it never would let him go again._

Aesen was not happy about his current predicament. The zombies and skeletons had been an easy obstacle, not to mention the bats, which were obnoxious but still harmless. But now, he had gotten to the part where even _plants_ would attack him. Not to mention that the furniture seemed to be possessed, too.

He brushed through his raven hair, trying to focus and calm himself down. There was nothing wrong with going and defeating darkness once more, so why did he have second thoughts at all?

_'Stay focused. If I let the monsters ambush me, then it's over faster than I would like.'_

Still, his hand nervously clutched the cross around his neck. Vampire Killer was reacting to something, and Aesen didn't want to know what exactly it was. He hated to admit it, but there definitely was fear burning in the pit of his stomach, with an ice cold flame.

He knew all the stories of his ancestors, of how they had fought against the hordes of undead and how they had suffered, failed, just to rise again and overthrow the deep darkness surrounding this place. Be it Dracula or someone else pulling the strings in the background, it always had been the Belmont clan winning in the end. But not always without losing someone dear.

Turning the cross in his hands, Aesen reconsidered. Had he something, _anything_ to lose but his salvation and his pride? Not that he could have claimed so. There was nothing for him to risk but his own life. Nothing was waiting for him back at home, but he wasn't going to abandon mankind either. He had to pick up the fight, no matter the cost of his battle.

Nodding to himself firmly, Aesen got up on his feet, taking a deep breath and silently thanking God for giving him the strength to go through this. He needed this firm belief, more than anything else, in the middle of this forsaken place crawling with the abominations of Hell. And if it meant to defeat Legion in its worst form, he would do it.

With firm steps, Aesen followed the corridor towards what seemed to be the more luxurious part of the castle, just to soon find himself in a maze of corridors, trick doors and secret passages. Castlevania often had proven to be a labyrinth of a most extraordinary nature, but the tales he had heard about it were nothing compared to reality.

Aesen huffed in annoyance, trying to stay as focused as somehow possible. At least, he chuckled to himself, there always was enough loot around to work with. As if the castle wanted to make sure that the odds would be fair for everyone participating in this fight. His energies wouldn't falter any time soon, which was quite reassuring to know. Even if the nature of this hide and seek game didn't appeal to him at all.

_'Why is it that they always have to hide somewhere in this maze? Can't they just outright challenge everyone?'_

Of course, Aesen didn't see this predicament as purely negative. The need to prepare oneself for the battles ahead always would be there, no matter at what time. And if it meant to release some of the damned and suffering souls, it was even better. The only thing he needed to watch out for was that he didn't become one of them. Like that, he would have become unable to finish his mission. He would have faltered before it even had begun.

Shaking his head about himself lightly, Aesen told himself to focus. He was keeping himself up with all those thoughts ghosting around in his mind. Taking a deep breath, he glanced around, before he decided to head back as much as possible and rethink how he would get deeper into the castle.

_But, of course, the moment Aesen Belmont decided so, the maze seemed to wondrously become nothing more than a harmless corridor full of rooms, and he was led directly to the big double winged door of the Ball Room. Chuckling to himself in mild annoyance, the young Belmont sat beside the door, needing to catch his breath again. Witches were such bothersome foes..._

_Inside the Ball Room, audible for the young Belmong, the Ghost Dancers were chuckling softly, having one of their only bright moments in eternal damnation as they watched how Alucard was leading the young female with perfected skill, making the pale form tremble slightly. If in shame or desire was impossible to tell, but that didn't matter to the dhampire._

Alucard playfully kissed the back of the ghost female's hand, winking mischievously at her and causing the Ghost Dancer to avert her look shyly. It was amazing to see how alive they still were, despite having been bound to the castle for several hundred years already. Their humanity had never fully faded, and that had something incredibly appealing for the dhampire.

Then, he felt something just outside the Ball Room.

The Ghost Dancers whispered in confusion as their master suddenly seemed to become more than a little angered. But then, they merely returned to their dance, the faint sound of a hidden orchestra accompanying their graceful swirling. Alucard smirked inwardly, then closed his eyes and gracefully danced amongst the many pale dancers filling the Ball Room with their cold, lifeless presence.

They were nothing more but faint memories. An echo of what once had been living, warm flesh and a beating heart. Something they called a _human_ . Alucard shook his head faintly at that, never breaking the soft movements, not even for a moment. What was a human anyway? A weak creature, cowering in fear before a God said to be allmighty and yet merciful. And they feared darkness as well. So where to go, if both darkness and light promised nothing but fear?

But they also could develop extraordinary powers in their fight for survival. They were beyond his understanding, and yet, Alucard had little doubt that one day, humanity would finally be overcome by darkness in a last, horrible fight, to be swallowed and consumed for eternity, condemned until the end of time.

_Aesen took several deep breaths again, but not feeling any relief or calm coming back to him. His heart fluttered nervously, making him wonder if he was going to be a coward. But that was not acceptable. He couldn't allow himself to grow weak now. He had to make sure that darkness would be put back into place. The sooner it happened, the better it would be for all of mankind._

The young Belmont slowly lifted, fiddling with the heavy silver cross around his neck. Why did he feel this insecure? Why did he feel like he was suffocating, slowly being choked to death by the merciless grip of an invisible hand?

"God, please lend me your strength one more time. I shall bring down the lord of this castle, for the world to be released from his grip once more."

Finally, a sense of peace and security came over him, and a soft smile came to Aesen's face. God was with him, he knew that much now. It was incredibly reassuring to feel the Lord close to him, His guiding hand on his shoulder. Aesen thanked God silently, tucking the cross back into his collar and grabbing the whip tightly. With God's help and in His will, he would purify this castle from the abominations of Hell, and send them back to the Devil himself.

He stepped forward, placing one hand on the door to the Ball Room. He was ready to conquer whatever inhuman beast was lurking in the castle, he was ready to send it on its knees and finish it off, to release the world's light once more. Darkness couldn't win, not this time, not in the future. Like in the past, it would, it _had to_ be defeated and sealed away from mankind.

Aesen pushed the door open, stepping into the great hall spreading in front of him. Thousands of Ghost Dancers were swirling in the pale beams of moonlight, a faint chuckling wavering through the air in between the sighs, sobs and wheeping sounds of tormented souls. The music coming to his ears created a cold, unearthly feeling in Aesen's heart, making the Belmont shudder in mild disgust. But this was it. The decision he had made.

And in the middle of the Ball Room, he saw Alucard dancing.

He had heard countless stories about this man. Adrian Tepes, born from a human woman, the legitimate son of Dracula. He had helped the Belmonts over and over again in the past, defeating his own father even in order to restore peace in the world. A human's friend, and a dark fiend's foe. Yet, Aesen was sure that his appearing here had no good meaning.

The way Alucard was dancing in between the ghosts, swirling in moonlight and basking in it had something oddly twisted and unnatural about it. Aesen swallowed, then cracked Vampire Killer in the air to catch the dhampire's attention.

The Ball Room fell silent, and Alucard came to a sudden stop, with his back towards Aesen.


	2. Dance With Death

"A Belmont, here? How very amusing indeed."

Alucard had barely turned his head, looking directly at Aesen. The burning thirst flickered for a moment, then went away again, just a mild prickling lingering still. The dhampire stood with his side towards Aesen, who was looking the blond male up and down with a doubtful look.

That was Alucard? Adrian Tepes, the son of Dracula and ally of the Belmont Clan? He had heard so much about the halfblood, and yet, he had the feeling that something was off about the other. Simply from how he acted, from how distand and cold he was.

Okay, Alucard never had been described as the most sociable guy. But that here was something different. The cold coming from the other was of an other nature than the pure will to not get involved into the complicated throes of his human allies' problems, or rather not becoming a part of them.

This here was rightout _aversion_. Not to say _hatred_.

"I don't think that my presence here is a mere joke." Aesen stated firmly, letting the long coils of Vampire Killer drop to the stone ground. In presence of the holy whip, the Ghost Dancers scattered with high-pitched screeches. "Rather something deadly serious."

"Deadly serious? That's a quite interesting way to put it, Belmont. But do tell me, what gives you the right to just intrude my castle?"

_'There. I knew it. Something was wrong all the whole damned time!'_

"Well? No answer? That's rude now."

"I merely was wondering why this here should be your castle. Isn't your father in charge any longer?"

"My father still has to recover from his last defeat." Alucard stated coldly, something dangerous glinting into those moon-like eyes. "And don't you dare to mock him like this, human..."

"Better a human than a damned soul." Aesen sneered, that cocky edge coming to his tone. "I would prefer to die in honor than to die with the knowledge that there will be no salvation for me."

"Dying in honor? That's ridiculous. A human being can never have something like honor. You are too weak to even defend yourselves."

"But you have to admit that for a human clan, the Belmonts have had quite the easy time to fight you all off."

Alucard huffed, though couldn't avoid that a small smile came to his face. That was true indeed. A human being could develop incredible powers, if faith led them on the narrow and dangerous paths through life. Darkness was lurking in so many forms and everywhere, yet there were those who could withstand its temptations for all of their lives.

Slowly, the dhampired reached down to his side, drawing his blade and pointing it towards Aesen. He wanted to find out how this human would perform in a fight, how he would handle him as an opponent. And Aesen seemed to be pretty much ready.

"Are you sure that you already can defeat me?" Alucard snickered, shaking his head lightly. "Foolish human indeed."

"The sooner this nightmare is over, the better it is for all mankind." Aesen huffed, cracking the whip again. "And I fully intend to release the world the fastest possible."

"Very well. We'll see if you are truly a Belmont, and not just some weak child in a hunter's disguise."

Aesen huffed, narrowing his eyes. He knew that he had to keep his composure, if he wanted to be victorious in this fight. Alucard was an opponent not to be taken lightly. With his fighting skills, the dhampire matched any monster in this castle, and Aesen honestly wasn't sure any longer if it had been a too good idea to skip right ahead to the most difficult fight.

But it was too late to turn back. Alucard was ready for the deadly dance, and he would have to follow the pace the dhampire set. Else, there was only a little chance he would survive the eternal night having grasped the castle. And those prospects were nothing he liked at all.

The dhampire dashed forward, aiming for Aesen's fighting arm immediately. The hunter took a leap back and cracked the whip forward, barely missing Alucard. But he wasn't playing around, that much was for sure. Alucard hissed, having had to duck in order to not be hit. That would get interesting...

He summoned his sword familiar, which was looming like the Damocles Sword over Aesen, while Alucard continued his fight with sword and shield. They moved across the whole Ball Room in their fight, Aesen struggling to not get hit by either the familiar or the dhampire. But he still could keep up with the pace of this fight. And that already meant something.

The sword familiar was worrying Aesen more than Alucard, as the giant blade could dash forward and only barely be deflected by a well-aimed hit of the whip. Alucard, on the other hand, easily could be kept at whip's length with how it lashed about every time Aesen gave it a firm crack.

But at some point, Aesen made the rookie mistake to let himself be backed up towards a wall. He noticed his mistake soon enough, luckily, and managed to do a dive roll out of the sword familiar's way, which had attacked him in a manner which would have ended with him being pinned to the stone wall.

Panting, Aesen shook his head to himself, keeping both Alucard and the sword familiar off him for a while to recover a little. He had underestimated the dhampire, he had to admit that much. But there was no way he would let the other defeat him. As it would have meant his demise, most possibly, there was no way he could allow any defeat to happen.

Alucard snickered, bowing his head slightly and lifting his blade once more. "I have to give you that much, human, you are not too bad. You have proven to be obnoxious and thick-headed. Maybe that will save you. But I doubt it."

"You should talk less and fight more." Aesen snorted, the next moment regretting his words already. Why couldn't he just shut up?

The moment he had taunted Alucard like that, the dhampire changed the pace of their fight, decreasing the distance between them noticably and putting Aesen into a quite dangerous predicament. The young Belmont had to focus all of his remaining strength to keep Alucard away from his fighting arm, to avoid any injuries which would render his arm useless.

But the longer it went on with the insanely sped up fight, the more he felt tiredness creeping up into him. He was making mistakes by now, staggering and panting from how long he had been fighting off Alucard already. He wanted to block another attack, but ended up missing out on the sword familiar. And that was his mistake there.

"AH!" Aesen dropped the whip the moment the sword familiar had swiped at his right arm, leaving a deep gash and the Belmont trembling in pain. He had backed against a wall and no longer been able to move around properly, and now was barely able to hold himself up on his feet any longer.

Alucard was chuckling, stepping closer slowly while the Belmont was panting and leaning back against the stone wall. "Disappointing indeed. I would have hoped that you had more fight in you."

Aesen glared at the dhampire, but most of all, his pride was hurt. It was unbelievable, he had really lost to the dhampire. And still, the feeling of something being wrong didn't waver. It rather got _more prominent_ with every second ticking away.

_'Why... why do I have this horrible feeling that he has changed over the years? That something happened to him?'_

It was strange that he would be worried about his opponent. But that here was Alucard, the one having helped humans so often – and now, he was fighting a Belmont with such coldblooded moves? Even to the point of backing him against a wall and still not dismissing his sword familiar?

He would have done that long ago, had he not a certain intention. Of that, Aesen now was convinced. And it had about the same effect as a bucket of ice being poured right into his stomach.

"Alucard, please stop..." he whispered helplessly, still exhausted and panting past the burning pain of the gash the sword familiar had given him. "You're... you're not planning on killing me, are you?"

The dhampire chuckled, finally waving away his sword familiar, but setting the tip of his blade on the underbelly of Aesen's chin. The pressure increased lightly, until there was a thin trail of blood trickling down along the vulnerable throat. Just a little more, and Aesen would be dead. Of that, the Belmont was shockingly aware.

"Why should I miss out on such a chance?" Alucard trailed the tip of the blade along Aesen's throat, without leaving even a shallow cut above the frantically pulsing vein. "There would be so much better use for you still... and that's only the begin of what I will do to you."

"O-Only the begin?" Aesen swallowed heavily, his chest twitching with how strongly his heart was pounding against his ribcage. "Alucard, what do you mean with that?"

"I mean to say..." the dhampire whispered with a gleeful, yet venomous voice, sheathing his blade and stepping closer slowly. "...that I will strip you of any humanity and pride. You will belong to me, as nothing more than a slave I can deal with however I see fit to it."

Aesen was stunned for a moment. That definitely wasn't Alucard standing there in front of him. The dhampire had changed dramatically, and now, he was feeling how dramatical this change was. Alucard radiated the vile, disgustingly dark energy of the castle. He had become the true lord of Castlevania.

"A-Alucard..." Aesen then caught himself, the old cocky and defiant behavior sparking up again. "Like Hell I will submit to _you_. I won't ever be broken down. And even if you kill me now, and end the bloodline of Belmont, you will never be the victorious one."

Laughing lowly, Alucard trapped Aesen against the wall. The young Belmont didn't put up any resistance, though. He was ready to die standing here, and join his parents in Heaven. At least, his soul would be forgiven and welcomed into the warm embrace of God.

"You are really thinking I will just finish you off and then leave it like that? That would be a much too easy victory for me. No, I was thinking of something much worse than Death could be for a Belmont."

"What?" Aesen hissed, but still didn't make a move. What in all of Heaven could Alucard have up his sleeve this time?

"I will crush your humanity, bit by bit..." Alucard whispered, having leaned close to Aesen, his breath washing over the shuddering human's neck. "I will crush every last bit of free will inside of you, and make you one of my servants. Maybe even the one lowest in the food chain, or a privileged one...? I will decide that later on. It will depend on how... _cooperative_ you are."

Aesen suppressed the urge to shove Alucard away from him. In the end, he would just have hurt himself. His arms hadn't got the necessary strength to do it anyway, and by how close Alucard was, it was impossible to tell if those fangs wouldn't simply sink into his neck before Alucard would stagger away far enough.

The Belmont's skin crawled as Alucard trailed his sharp fangs along the vulnerable neck, without leaving a cut or anything comparable yet, though. He was merely playing around, extending the suspension to a point it would get plainly torturous. Aesen had to hold himself back with all might, to not do anything inconsiderate.

Alucard trailed one hand down Aesen's chest, making the young Belmont's breath hitch lightly. Wherever this was going, he didn't like the thought of it at all. No matter what Alucard would do to him, it _would_ be something the Belmont would hate without doubt.

Aesen tried hard to keep himself in reign, to not shove Alucard off him, even if every fibre of his body was screaming to get away from the dhampire as far as somehow possible. Aesen's breath came in nervous gasps, and especially as Alucard nipped shortly on his neck, he almost lost it and would have attacked the dhampire barehanded.

"W-What kind of sick game is this anyway?" he finally huffed out, glaring at Alucard as if he wanted to stake the dhampire with looks alone. "Just get it over with already! What your father already swore to do! Snuff out the last member of the Belmont family and make him proud!"

Alucard shook his head slightly, a broad sneer coming to his face. "But that would be such a great waste of something so unique and tasty..."

He leaned forward, nipping sharply on the neck once more, but merely aiming for a mild imprint of his teeth. Still no sign he would really bite Aesen. "No, there is something different I want to do first."

Aesen knew what Alucard meant the moment the dhampire was touching him in that one place.


End file.
